Dorman coach learned lessons well from Bailey Harris
Dorman boys basketball coach Thomas Ryan never had an opportunity to play for a state championship when he was aguard at Lexington High in the mid-90s. But the bond he formed under coach Bailey Harris during his three years as a starter is second to none.
“Coach Harris has been a great mentor to me,” Ryan said. “I talk to him almost every day during the season. He’s a better person than coach. We talk a lot about coaching and a lot about life in general.”
Harris knows a thing or two about coaching in a state championship. Lexington won state titles in 1996 – the year after Ryan graduated – and 2000. Harris also finished runner-up four times, most recently in 2012.
The biggest piece of advice he gave Ryan was simple.
“You certainly want to win, but make sure you take the time to enjoy being there,” Harris said. “The other thing is I told him to be prepared to be backed up. With three games before his, it’s likely not to tip at 8:30. You have to take that into consideration when planning all your pregame stuff.”
Ryan, who played collegiately at USC Aiken, was head coach at Aiken High for six years before coming to Dorman after the 2007 season. He’s made semifinal appearances with Dorman in 2011 and 2012 and had another with Aiken, but this is his first trip to the championship as a coach.
“I just thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to be at Dorman,” Ryan said. “We’ve knocked on the door a couple of times and haven’t been able to get through.”
Ryan has patterned his program after what Harris did at Lexington.
First-year Lower Richland coach Caleb Gaither spent the past four seasons as an assistant at Dorman. Gaither said a lot of what he learned from Ryan is the reason the Diamonds are in their first title game since 2004.
“The way he runs his program, it’s almost like a college program,” Gaither said. “Not only is he good at Xs and Os, but outside of basketball, it’s almost like a brand in Dorman basketball. He puts the Dorman program in the community and into a good light.”
SCHSL Basketball State Championships
At Colonial Life Arena
FRIDAY
Class A Girls: Estill vs. Green Sea-Floyds, 4 p.m.
Class A Boys: Lewisville vs. Hemingway, 5:30 p.m.
Class 5A Girls: Goose Creek vs. Wade Hampton, 7 p.m.
Class 5A Boys: Blythewood vs. Dorman, 8:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Class 2A Girls: Mullins vs. Christ Church, 11 a.m.
Class 2A Boys: Keenan vs. Burke, 12:30 p.m.
Class 3A Girls: Bishop England vs. Newberry, 2 p.m.
Class 3A Boys: Dillon vs. Southside, 4 p.m.
Class 4A Girls: Wilson vs. North Augusta, 5:30 p.m.
Class 4A Boys: Lower Richland vs. Wren, 7 p.m.
Tickets: $10
TV: All games will be carried on WACH 57.2 (Time Warner Cable). Games will be streamed online at www.nfhsnetwork.com
This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 11:54 PM with the headline "Dorman coach learned lessons well from Bailey Harris."